


Whole Fuck Tonne

by FrankiValerie



Series: After Omega [6]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Grissom Academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 23:41:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7484511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankiValerie/pseuds/FrankiValerie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caleb is a character created by @Tortuga_rebel on twitter and I have his permission to write and post.  </p><p>This one is short and all fluff.  Little bit of background that gives you a better idea of the timing of the story and all.  </p><p>Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whole Fuck Tonne

The halls of Grissom Academy were generally quiet on a Sunday evening. There was always a larger than life feast on late afternoons that set the students up for a good long night's sleep before a Monday morning - important for humanity's future war heroes, expert engineers and top scientists. So they didn't see a single other soul on their fairly long walk to the staff dorms. She preferred it that way. No-one to bump into her and try to small talk, maybe ask about Caleb or tell her they'd heard rumours about a fight – which there likely were; the shuttle bay wasn't exactly restricted.

Jack was so relieved to see her quarters again. Exactly how she'd left it. Bed – more like a nest – unmade, dozens of pillows and throws piled on top, ready for her crawl in and be kept warm, hidden, and safe for a whole night.

She kicked off her boots and shrugged off her jacket, throwing it to the side, not paying attention to where it landed.

"Make yourself at home." She directed at Caleb as he followed her in - though it really didn't need to be said. He settled down, suspiciously quiet, on the less than cosy sofa and looked around, looking sleepy and unsteady.

Of course she'd wanted him to stay, at least for one more night. She told the matron where to shove her spare bed too, if he was staying, she wanted him close by. Only now she was under strict instructions to watch his recovery and report any signs of negative side effects from the strong painkillers they had given him.

There was a desk in the room as well, just as messy and unkempt as the bed, littered with paper work.  She sat at the desk and began to look through the files.   _Three new students_. Jack’s eyes skimmed over the files for anything that stood out but as far as she could see, these kids were pretty normal biotics.  Each child had a background briefing in their ‘skeleton’ file at the beginning of their enrolment. One of them was having a little more trouble with control and stability of his powers but that was an easy fix – for Jack at least.  The other two seemed perfectly fine.  She’d just need to focus on this one trouble case; Baxter Wentworth-Smith.

She stared at the holo-screen of the ‘computer’ on her desk, not really reading it… or even seeing it. It was just in front of her. She couldn’t focus. And her eyes hurt. How did she think it would be so easy to just fall back into this routine after everything that had happened? Not just on Omega but everything.

Cerberus invading the Academy, so soon after they found out the reapers had arrived. Having to fling her students out into the war - glad Shepard had suggested her students stuck to support roles.  Otherwise, she thought, they’d probably all be dead.  

Then Shepard’s disappearance at the end of the war had thrown almost everyone into feelings of such deep loss.  His comms died out just before the crucible fired and the reapers all fell.  The destruction was massive.  He was eventually found; his broken, barely alive body being found amongst the rubble.  Jack recalled the relief she felt; what the whole crew felt.  Everything after that slowly fit back together. the Normandy had helped the Academy reopen which for Jack had been maddening and boring at the same time. James had been her sanity check - or a distraction, right until he became something more. He became her everything then he'd cast her aside like the sweat soaked towel he wiped himself with after a workout.

Finally, Omega. Bar fights, excessive drinking, and the Tortugan Tornado. Chaos, destruction, violence and fury. All of that had been easy to fall back into, she’d had a lifetime of it. The teaching routine wasn't so simple.  The Psychotic Biotic doing paperwork, writing lesson plans, familiarising herself again with assessment criteria, and basic instruction guidelines for the new students.

Jack pulled herself back to the moment and closed the files, putting them to the side. She'd figure out her lesson plan later.  She held her head in her hands and closed her eyes.  The sting on the back of her eyes was distracting, but more so  was the steady, rhythmic _thump-thump-clap_ behind her.

She'd been able to tune it out when she was reading, and had even forgotten about it. Now there weren't dozens of thoughts buzzing through her head she couldn't ignore it. And it was getting louder.

_thump-thump-clap thump-thump-clap_

_thump-thump-clap thump-thump-clap_

She couldn't take it anymore. She snarled, stood up, spun around, her energies flaring, and biotically pulled the tennis ball out the air between the wall and Caleb‘s hands

"Hey!" he frowned, whining like a child, "Uncalled for!"

"I can't fucking concentrate with you doing that!"

"Then just fucking say so!"

She squeezed the ball in her fist, and would have pelted it off him if he wasn't already so bruised and broken. Instead she growled and put the ball on her desk, sitting back down and trying to focus on her paperwork again.

Caleb was sat up on the floor beside her desk and turned to face her.

"Jack" he nudged the back of her chair, "What you doing, exactly?"

She grinded her teeth and hissed her reply, "Paperwork."

He nudged her chair again, "Well yeah, but what is it?"

"Consent forms, background information, psyche evaluations, test scores, planned assessments, and fucking family history. I gotta read through it all before I can teach em. So I’m not putting a kid with claustrophobia in a bubble or something like that."

As she spoke he got to his feet and stood behind her, looking at all the letters and reports on her desk.

"Sounds boring as fuck"

She sighed and rested her hand on her head, "It is."

"So take a break and let’s go do something?"

"Like what? You're broken and high."

"Pff, I’m not fucking high.  I'm fine! What do you do for fun around here?"

"There isn't all that much to do, really."

"Bullshit, there must be something."

She shook her head, "Caleb, will you just rest?!" She looked up at him with worry evident in her tired eyes, "You've got 2 broken ribs for fuck sake!"

"I feel fine."

"You're high on meds, that's why!"

"Jack, I'm fine."

"You've got more black and blue on you than an oiled up asari- you should really be in bed."

He pouted, childishly.

"And I have to read all this shit before tomorrow fucking morning" She turned back to her desk and started reading through the next file.

Caleb looked around her desk area, only a small divider separating it from the rest of the quarters  . To call it a bomb site would be an understatement. He could try to tidy up for her but he’d just get in her way. He chuckled to himself and shook his head.

There were shelves behind her desk, stacked tight with books. They were old, tattered some even leather bound.. Jack’s? He expected her to be an avid reader, knew she liked reading, but never thought she’d have her own book collection. It looked like it was all older stuff... ancient, almost; poetry and literature, likely with dark themes.

He turned his attention back to her desk, eyes scanning over the various reports, files, a data pad or two...

"What, no apple for teach?" He asked, nudging her arm as he leaned against the divider.

"No." was the only reply he got.

He noticed she was squinting at the report in front of her.

"Headache, Jack?"

She muttered, "You're a fucking headache."

"That hurts my feelings." He deadpanned, sliding down the divider to sit back on the floor.

Jack dropped the report and rubbed her eyes, leaning back in her chair. Then she glared at Caleb again.

"... Fuck it, bed time." She stood, clenching her jaw, unsurprisingly leaving her desk littered with the masses of paperwork.

She headed straight for the bed, unbuckling her belt and tossing it to the side as she had done with her jacket, then started arranging the pillows and blankets into some kind of excuse for tidy. When she looked back to Caleb he was watching her, and she couldn't quite understand his expression.

His brow was furrowed, his eyes looked dark in the dim lights. He wasn't smiling. She stopped fussing with the blankets and frowned, "You good, C?"

He blinked slowly, licked his lips and it clicked.

”You are so fucking high.” She grinned, “Should ask for some of those pain killers next time I’m in the medwing.”

He blinked again.

Matron had said he'd eventually just crash, and it was nothing to worry about.

She chuckled, "Yeah, I'm tired too." and headed over. He watched her closely, keeping his eyes fixed on her face.

"C'mon, get into bed before you fall asleep on the floor."

A wonky smirk slowly stretched his lips as she leant to help him up, being careful of where to lift him, finding it hard to place her hand somewhere that wasn't black or blue to support him.

"Jack..." He wavered slightly but stood on his own, laying his arm over her shoulder and pulling her toward him, "I'm not even tired."

She smiled at how childish he still sounded. It was adorable how he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Well, in that case... there are other uses for a bed." she struggled not to laugh at his lopsided grin as she turned him to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah! C'mere, gorgeous," he grabbed her hand and held her waist, "Finish what we started in the Med Bay!"

He closed his eyes, laying back, at first he pulled her with him, but his grip relaxed the closer her got to his head hitting the mattress.

"Jack... you don't know...” he muttered breathily as his eyes finally fluttered shut and stayed shut.

She carefully climbed over him, learning more toward his un-injured side, "I don't know what?" she whispered, grinning wider still.

"How much... you mean to me." He turned his head toward her but didn't open his eyes again. "Whole fuck tonne" were the last words he breathed out before falling asleep.

Jack's smile softened and she studied his face. He looked so beautiful to her now, so peaceful.

She lifted her hand and gently traced the angry scar on his cheek. He'd never told her the story behind it, but she knew he was self conscious about it, so never asked. He'd tell her if/when he was ready.

"You mean a fuck tonne to me too, Caleb." She whispered, brushing her fingers lightly through his tussled hair, then placed a soft lingering kiss on his lower lip.


End file.
